Suit yourself

Greta Garb-oh!

Momma and I are proud to present the second outfit in her Greta Garb-oh! Collection: a two-piece 1870s Super Suit PLUS a coordinating Lobster Tail Bustle and Petticoat. Both are based upon patterns by Thimbles and Acorns.

Momma's Super Suit is as wild and crazy as a day at ComiCon. Not only does it feature Supergirl, Batgirl, and Wonder Woman, but it has the bold onomatopoeic words (Bam! Pow! Wham!) associated with comics, and the coordinating petticoat and bustle has the stars seen in cartoons after a stunning blow to the head.

After making my Super Suit, Momma decided to add gold lame to the cuffs in homage to Wonder Woman's bulletproof bracelets. A gold lasso of truth is attached at the waist, but can be removed if desired.

(I'm jealous. I want bulletproof bracelets, too!)

Honey, where's my Super Suit?

One of the things Momma and I really like about pop culture conventions is watching cosplay.

Cosplay (short for "costume play") participants wear costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or concept.

Anything that lends itself to interpretation may be used as inspiration ... and it is not unusual to see women playing male roles, et cetera. 

So when Momma saw this fabric featuring Supergirl, Batgirl, and Wonder Woman, her mind wandered.

My Super Suit is as wild and crazy as a day at ComiCon. Not only does it feature female superheroes, but it has the bold onomatopoeic words (Bam! Pow! Wham!) associated with comics, and my petticoat has the stars seen in cartoons after a stunning blow to the head.

And guess what? Your 18 inch Vinyl American friend can have her very own Super Suit, too! Momma will be listing one in her Etsy shop in the next few days.

Stay tuned for the next exciting development - same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!

Pardon, my slip is showing

Ooh, the excitment is building around here.

Not only did Momma finish my LepreCon outfit (complete with matching petticoat and lobster tail bustle) but she is finishing a second to sell in her Etsy shop, Greta Garb-oh!, this week!

Yes, you too can dress like me! Momma plans to make two of each outfit she makes for me (or my Vinyl American siblings) and sell the second on Etsy.

The Thimbles and Acorns description for both the 1870s Bustle Dress and Lobster Tail Bustle and Petticoat are the same:

Fashion is where expression meets practicality and lures it into the realm of the extreme. Though fashion trends have a tendency to push the limits, practicality always manages to bring them back into balance… at least for a time. Full skirts were the hallmark of the early Victorian era and by the 1860s they had expanded to as wide as six feet in diameter.

However, as railroads began forging paths around the world, women began to travel more and more. Full skirts and crinolines made for poor traveling companions and the boundary for this fashion trend had been reached. Still, it would be a gallant exit.

 The 1870s saw a great boom in the textile industry. Hand looms were replaced by more efficient steam driven power looms which resulted in a larger supply of cloth and fancy trims at greatly reduced prices. The great cage crinolines were shed and the surplus fabric from the full skirts was draped in elaborately decorated layers and pulled toward the back in large bustles that were reminiscent of those worn a century earlier. The fashionable silhouette had become smaller and more mobile, but what was lost in size was more than made up for with the elaborate trimming which would become the hallmark of the later Victorian Era.

Momma used the green Victorian Dream Gears and tea-stained muslin. She deliberalty left the petticoat longer than the shortened bustle skirt so the raw, selvage would show. Momma plans to make me a matching camisole and drawers, too!

I think it's pretty awesome, myself.

 

It was a rock lobster

Momma is happily sewing "It's a Peep" Bustle Skirts for me and Clementine. In fact she's made three since my Big Sister claimed the first one!

She has one "It's a Peep" jacket cut out (she says we can share - harumph) and plans to sew it tomorrow. Momma also has cut out my LeprCon outfit using both the Victorian Dream Gears and tea-stained muslin!

But what I am really looking forward to is the 1870-02 Lobster Tail Bustle and Petticoat by Thimbles and Acorns to go with my many 1870 Bustle Dresses.

Momma has found the perfect fabric, too.

Rock, rock
Rock lobster
Down, down

Lobster
Rock lobster
Rock
Let's rock

 

 

The wearing of the green

Momma has been looking for fabric to make me an Epic Outfit worthy of a Work of Art for LepreCon, and she found this:
Victorian Dream Gears by Collier-Morales Studio for Quilting Treasures.

The world of Steampunk through the eyes of Roberta Morales. Now the gears are turning. Is it Victorian or is it Science Fiction or maybe a combination of both?

Perfect for both St. Patrick's Day and LepreCon.

St. Patrick's Day is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated on March 17 named after St. Patrick, the most popular patron saint of Ireland.

St. Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th Century and commemorates St. Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, as well as Irish heritage and culture. Celebrations include parades and festivals, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. Many Christians also attend church services, and the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol are lifted for the day.

Green beer? No, thank you. I'll stick to absinthe.

 

Fifty shades of green

I am now, officially, a Work of Art.

If you don't believe me, I have been asked to be part of the LepreCon 40 Art Show.

Dear Artist,

We would like to invite you personally to show your art in the LepreCon 40 art show. LepreCon 40 will be May 8th-11th at the Phoenix Mesa Marriot Hotel in Mesa, Arizona.

This year our artist guest of honor will be Daniel Davis of Steam Crow, Artist Alfred Trujillo, Gail Carriger, and Cara Nicole.

Gail Carriger?! Swoon! I shall have to bring my Unusually Stout Parasol.

(I am honored to be in such excellent company. Momma's friend Jennifer Roberson was a Guest of Honor at LepreCon 12 in 1986.)

LepreCon is an annual Phoenix-area science fiction convention (Con) with an emphasis on art. It is the second oldest science fiction convention in Arizona. The first LepreCon was March 14-16, 1975, St. Patrick's Day weekend, thus inspiring the name of the convention, a pun on leprechaun. 
 
Wow. First the Renaissance Faire, then Geeks Night Out, and now being asked to be a Work of Art at LepreCon 40.

Can this week get any better?